Planning organization debates future of passenger rail project

The future of a proposed San Antonio-Georgetown passenger rail line remained uncertain Monday as local planners continued to express doubt about the viability of the project.

The Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization again discussed whether it ought to join its Austin-area counterpart in funding the cost of planning the line, known as LSTAR, amid questions about the viability of the effort. But the organization ultimately decided to defer the decision until after it receives more information from the Lone Star Rail District about the status of the project.

“We have to base (the decision) not on politics, not on emotion, but on the data in front of us,” said AAMPO Chairman Ray Lopez.

The Lone Star Rail District, a government-funded agency that represents six counties and many cities and agencies in the Interstate 35 corridor, has been working for more than a decade to plan the commuter rail line. The project hit a roadblock in February when Union Pacific pulled its tracks from a possible route that many believed would most benefit the region.

As part of its environmental study, the district has identified several alternative routes that could involve building train tracks parallel to I-35 or the Texas 130 toll road. But several board members questioned whether the alternatives will prove feasible and serve the same purpose as the preferred UP route.

Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher said he doubted the viability of any routes involving Texas 130 because they would attract fewer riders than routes closer to I-35.

“They can just be scratched off the list as not feasible in my mind,” he said.

AAMPO’s decision could determine whether the district’s environmental study proceeds as planned. In April, several members of the Austin-based Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization made clear that their organization might stop funding the project if San Antonio-area officials decline to shoulder some of the planning costs.

CAMPO, which has already committed about $12 million to the environmental study, debated freezing its funding earlier this year but voted 10-9 to revisit the issue in June after discussing it with other agencies. It will likely make a final decision on the matter after AAMPO determines its position.

Members of both MPOs have questioned whether another agency ought to take over the project planning. In a letter last month, CAMPO Chairman Will Conley suggested the MPOs should lead the effort and asked if the Texas Department of Transportation would aid in the process.

In response, TxDOT Deputy Executive Director Marc Williams wrote that the department might be open to such a shift if the planning organizations withdrew their support for the current environmental study.

“I don’t think there is anybody who says the idea of rail through the corridor is a bad idea,” he said. “I just feel like we’re back to a point that’s almost square one, and we need to take a step back.”